‘India warned us’: Belgian PM says Europe faces ‘rude awakening’ over China dependency
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘India warned us’: Belgian PM says Europe faces ‘rude awakening’ over China dependency")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on September 02, 2026. Photograph: (ANI)
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Europe is facing a “rude awakening” over its economic dependence on China after ignoring India’s earlier warnings about the risks of trade and industrial dependencies.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Europe has realised the risks of depending heavily on other countries for trade and industry, admitting that India had warned European nations about these vulnerabilities much earlier.
Speaking at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event in New Delhi, De Wever said Europe had ignored warnings about growing economic dependencies but was now facing their consequences.
“We face the same challenges. We are confronted with the same power blocks that are going in a certain direction, a direction that we may not like, and we do not like to be pushed around. We do not like dependencies becoming weaponised against us,” he said.
De Wever said India understood the dangers of excessive economic dependence long before Europe did. He acknowledged that European countries failed to act on the warnings given by India’s Prime Minister.
“You have lived this history. Your prime minister warned Europe about this long time ago already, but he was ignored. He wasn’t listened to. We are listening now. It’s a bit late maybe in Europe this awakening, but it is happening,” he said.
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Europe’s ‘rude awakening’
The Belgian Prime Minister described Europe’s experience with trade and industrial dependencies as a “rude awakening”. He said European markets had allowed foreign overcapacity to enter at prices below cost, weakening the continent’s industrial base.
“The country that has profited most from that practice does not lie very far from here. It is a neighbour you all know. And India saw this earlier than we did and they warned us, and we didn’t listen,” he said, referring indirectly to China.
De Wever also called for stronger cooperation between India and Europe in several key sectors. He highlighted critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, green energy, technology, defence and maritime security as areas where both sides could pursue joint initiatives.
India-Europe cooperation
His remarks came as he pushed for closer bilateral cooperation to address shared economic and strategic challenges. De Wever said India and Europe face similar concerns over economic dependencies and changing global power dynamics.
He stressed the need for cooperation across critical industries and strategic sectors, including defence, technology, pharmaceuticals and clean energy.
